Ward 8 Update Newsletters February 18, 2014

City of Minneapolis sent this bulletin at 02/18/2014 01:30 PM CST

February 18, 2014

Kingfield Crime Prevention and Safety Meeting Tonight!

The Kingfield Crime Prevention and Safety team will meet tonight, Tuesday, February 18, at 7 pm at MLK Park. Hear updates about the Kingfield homicides and recent crime trends from the new 5th Precinct Commander, Inspector Todd Loining.Welcome our new Crime Prevention Specialist, Jennifer Waisanen, and discover ways to make your home more secure.

Vote online for your favorite project in Creative City Challenge

The 2014 Creative City Challenge has begun. Three finalists and their projects have been selected, and from now through Feb. 28 you’ll be able to vote for your favorite one online here.The goal of the Creative City Challenge is to draw visitors and residents of the city to the Minneapolis Convention Center as a central meeting space for the surrounding area, as well as to provide a compelling gathering site for the convention center’s thousands of visitors. The commission fee for the selected project is $75,000, inclusive of all artist fees, installation and de-installation costs. The winning project will remain on the Minneapolis Convention Center Plaza throughout the summer and be the site of several public events to be announced at a later date. The Minneapolis Convention Center is a site of convergence for Minneapolis visitors from around the country and the world; it is also a part of the local neighborhood and Minneapolis’downtown.For more information about the competition, finalists’projects and last year’s winning project, MIMMI, click here.

Get your trees! $25 trees!

Starting March 17, the City of Minneapolis is offering more than 1,000 five- to eight-foot trees for only $25 each. Mark your calendar now. Order your tree starting 8 a.m., March 17, at www.treetrust.org. Pick it up May 15, 17, 18 or 19.Trees are available for Minneapolis property owners including residents, businesses and nonprofits. Choose from several varieties and sizes of trees, including fruit trees. First-come, first-served –order early for best selection. Limit one tree per property, maximum five properties.Healthy trees look beautiful in your neighborhood, increase property values, help clean the air you breathe, absorb carbon dioxide, save on your energy bills with strategic planting, keep the city cooler in the summer, provide homes for wildlife and help manage stormwater.

Organizations can apply for grants to help create healthier communities

The City of Minneapolis Health Department will provide grants to three community-based groups to fund their work to improve the health of our community. The City is accepting proposals now through March 10 from groups that will implement projects to make it easier for residents to eat healthfully, be physically active, and/or live tobacco-free. This “Community-Driven Healthy Living”effort will provide up to $30,000 in funding for each of the three groups selected.The request for proposals is available on the Health Department website at www.minneapolismn.gov/health/grants.Eligible applicants for the grants include 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, governmental agencies, or for-profit entities. Proposed projects must benefit Minneapolis residents with higher rates of obesity, tobacco use and related diseases such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease. Projects can be concentrated in specific populations defined by age or race/ethnicity or geographic communities with the highest rates of poverty and poor health conditions.

Grants available to help you pay for sewer line work

Property owners who need to repair or replace their sanitary sewer lines may be able to get some help paying for that construction. The Metropolitan Council has made grant money available to cover a third of the cost, up to $2,000.Work eligible for the funding includes:

Rehabilitation or replacement of sewer service lines from the main sewer line to the house or building (not internal sewer plumbing)

Disconnection of foundation drains

The grants are available to any Minneapolis property owner. Funds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, so when the funds are gone, no more grants will be awarded.For more information, go to www.minneapolismn.gov/publicworks/sewers and click on the link for “MCES I&I Grant Program.”

Final Community Meeting

Regarding the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Playground RedesignLast Park Board Meeting for the MLK Park Playground Redesign:Thursday, February 20th, 6:30-8:30 pm, 4055 Nicollet (Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Park).At this meeting, the design team will present playground equipment options for the park that are being developed based on input from the community, projects artists and playground manufacturers. The community will be asked to review the equipment options, provide comment and work with the design team to finalize the play equipment for the park. At this meeting, the community and design team will also finalize the phasing strategy for the playground.All are welcome to participate –kids too! Children can engage in the design process and/or go to the Arts and Crafts room next door with local teens for fun and FREE childcare!The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and its partners are seeking additional feedback on the playground concept and phase I options that were presented at the December 17, 2013 community meeting. The information you provide will help determine community preferences and final recommendations for the overall concept, phasing, fundraising and project timing at the February 20, 2014 community meeting.

One sided parking on Grand Avenue - Lake Street - 46th Street

Because of snow and ice buildup along curbs, some streets are getting too narrow for fire trucks, ambulances and transit buses to get around.Because of these concerns, Grand Avenue from Lake to 46th Street, as well as some other area streets such as Bryant, are marked with temporary “no parking”signs on the West side of the street.The one-sided parking ban will be in place until April 1 2014.Look for and follow the“No Parking”signs, and please help remind your neighbors to do the same. If you park in a spot posted for “No Parking”you may receive a parking ticket, and your car may be towed to the impound lot.According to our Public Works department, more snowfall in the coming weeks may make it necessary to impose Winter Parking Restrictions (a city-wide, one-side parking ban on non-Snow Emergency Routes) to help ensure that firefighters, medics and other emergency workers can reach homes and businesses on every street.If you have questions aboutthis work, just call 311.

Store to Door seeks volunteers

For 30 years Store To Door has provided nonprofit grocery shopping &delivery to aging adults in the Twin Cities. We depend on volunteers tocontinue to make this possible.For more information or to begin thevolunteering process please contact Store To Door at 651-642-1892 or email volunteers@storetodoor.org. Learn more at www.storetodoor.orgThis brutal winter has made the non-profit grocery shopping and delivery service thatStore To Door provides even more essential for seniors, and our numbershave seen a dramatic increase (more than 100 new or re-activated clients in January alone).As a *Volunteer Order Taker*, you will form an ongoing relationship withseniors in the community who need your help!Volunteer from your home orwork to take grocery orders once a week over the phone and enter them into Store To Door's online system.You pick the day and time to make yourcalls. Learn more at www.storetodoor.org.

Businesses encouraged to grow produce for food shelves

The City of Minneapolis is recruiting Minneapolis businesses and organizations to grow nutritious food for local food shelves through a program called Giving Gardens. A charitable twist on community gardens, Giving Gardens benefit people in need and help improve employee wellness for businesses that participate.A Giving Garden can grow in the ground, on a raised bed, or even in straw bales in parking lot stalls, so businesses have opportunities to get creative and help others in our community. Healthy items are not regularly donated to food shelves and are often expensive for food shelves to purchase on their own. The Minneapolis Health Department and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota will present a two-hour workshop for businesses and organizations interested in having a Giving Garden.9:15-11:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 27East Phillips Park Cultural & Community Center, 2307 17th Ave. S.For more information or to RSVP, e-mail Vish Vasani or call 612-673-3861.Businesses can still help local food shelves even if they can’t start a garden. Look at the Healthy Food Shelf Network website for ideas.

Meet with Elizabeth:

Community Office HoursElizabeth looks forward to meeting and connecting with residents in many ways, including at her weekly community office hours. For the past eight years Council Vice President Glidden has hosted community office hours as one way to connect personally with constituents: Monday mornings, 9-11:00 amSabathani Community Center310 E 38th Street, outside of Room 129

Call (612) 673-2208 for an appointment or just drop by! Your questions and comments are always welcome. If you would like to meet with Elizabeth at another location within the Eighth Ward or at City Hall, please call her and the Eighth Ward team at (612) 673-2208 or e-mail her at Elizabeth.glidden@minneapolismn.gov

Thank you Inspector Tony Diaz:

Welcome Incoming Inspector Todd Loining

After 32 years of devoted service to the Minneapolis Police Department, and excellent service in leadership of the Fifth Precinct, Inspector Tony Diaz is retiring.A celebration of his service will be held at the Fifth Precinct Community Room on January 31, 1-3 pm.Thank you for your service, Inspector Diaz!We are excited to welcome our new Inspector for the Fifth Precinct, Todd Loining, a 21-year veteran of the Minneapolis Police Department with city-wide experience in patrol, as well as serving as an investigator in the assault and internal affairs units.We look forward to working with you.